Globe views mayor race through class divide
by Greg Reibman | Nov 1, 2017 | Mayor's race, Ruthanne Fuller, Scott Lennon | 11 comments
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That house in the Globe photo with the Fuller sign was once owned by a popular pediatrician, Dr. Theodore Bennett. He used to make house calls! I think he was a Republican because whenever he was about to stick me with a needle for my monthly allergy shot he would say something like, “Don’t move, or I’ll have to tell Mayor Mann (or President Nixon) on you!”
He was a really good, old-school doctor.
There is definitely a class element to this election. A week from this morning, I think it will be critical to put that aside and try to unify the city. Both Scott and Ruthanne are capable of doing that, perhaps with an appearance alongside our current mayor. I think we are all going to miss Setti Warren a lot because he really did a nice job bridging that divide.
Andy – I overall like Setti and support his gubernatorial run but I disagree that he bridged the class divide. In fact, my biggest criticism of him is that his new campaign focuses on income inequality but he’s been very weak on those issues here in Newton.
@Andy: No, Setti did not do a nice job at bridging that divide. Not even close. In that respect, I’d argue he made things worse. In his eight years in office, how many times did he visit Newton Public Housing?
I agree with Tom. Setti widened the gap between rich and moderate income people. Setti’s housing vision for the North side will not help increase affordable housing. It raises the cost of rental units for low income households, makes small businesses unaffordable and raises taxes for those who can’t afford healthcare and present property taxes. With the next two mayors the gap will widen.
Bob Korff’s new project on Washington St. and Crafts is a game changer. Not only will he end the lease of Wholefoods but he drives out all the other businesses on the commercial based lots.
Colleen:
While I’m not the biggest fan of Whole Paycheck, I’m curious about the lease of Whole Foods you are referencing. Do you actually know something about that? Facts always welcome, I hadn’t heard about WholeFoods moving or anything like that.
Fig…. yes I and other people in NVille have been following Korff’s land purchases for the past year. He has purchased land in West Newton which includes the Barn. That area is larger than Washington Pl. In addition he has purchased several lots on Maguire Court and Crafts St. and Washington St. He hopes to buy out most of the businesses there but Marty’s doesn’t want to sell. Korff invisions a 600 unit housing structure and expects the city council, especially if downsized, to rezone the land. Most nearby residents will not benefit from these big residential changes.
Colleen,
An argument, take it or leave it, is that nearby residents will most definitely benefit from additional people in their neighborhood. Those additional residents will help make the commercial areas the residents already live near more active and vital.
Another update from the Boston Globe posted an hour ago:
Globe:https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/11/01/newton-candidate-new-features-photo-full-women-supporters/SZ7g1vgjcw7ttbX5ZTaZhK/story.html
Newton was already divided over development for a number of reasons. Last election there was a slate of anti-development (used loosely) candidates most of whom did not win but came close in some areas. The campaigning by some of the supporters of this group was largely negative accusing one part of the city of not listening to the other – at times producing ad content that wasn’t only negative but also wasn’t true. Accusations of a class divide were forthcoming.
This divide increased during the Charter Commission’s tenure and only got louder after the proposed charter was presented. It is still based on pro vs anti development sentiment with misunderstandings and negative comments coming from both sides.
This election has been riddled with comparisons over which candidates are pro the new charter and which are not. Some of the groupings of candidate’s signs on yards has been shown to follow those development divides.
When it comes to the mayor’s race, both candidates appear to be pro development in Village centers, although a prominent, respected counselor who leans toward anti-development and came in third the primary supports one of them. They have similar stands on most things so the differentiation between them entered into opposition research, mostly among their supporters, but included some poorly worded statements from each.
A class divide is present in some ways, particularly glaring is the winter parking ban and the ineffective outreach programs to Newton’s low income students. But in most ways, the city of Newton works together to solve its problems. The volunteerism here is unbounded on all sides – north and south. After the election and charter vote, I expect the city’s residents will continue to join together for the benefit of each other.
Colleen:
Thank you for the info. I was not aware.
Regarding Whole Foods, getting a supermarket as a tenant tends to be the holy grail of commercial tenants, so I doubt Whole Foods would go away.
Regardless, I’m not sure if I would support something like that. Food for thought.
I thought this was a really balanced article about Newton that examined something that is really driving where people land in this election.
Really solid reporting and writing.
Makes up for Shirley Leung sensationalism and made me feel much better about the Globe.